Position Paper on Value of Technical Publications in the Marketing and Advertising Industry

1. Position Paper on
Value of Technical Publications in the
Marketing and Advertising Industry

3. Introduction
This paper presents the value of and need for TWB – Leading Technical Documentation
quality Technical Publications in the Marketing and
Outsourcing Company
Advertising Industry.
TWB is a leading technical publisher with an
Technical publications include a wide variety of
excellent record of providing unmatched technical
material such as web content, brochures,
documentation to many major companies.
catalogues, pre-sale literature, newsletters,
technical reports, white papers, case studies,
flyers, product demos, user guides, online help, TWB is the ideal choice for leading vendors of
classroom training materials, reference guides, software and hardware products. TWB helps
administration guides, standard operating customers with all their technical documentation
procedures, installation manuals and web-based needs such as web content, brochures, catalogues,
training materials. white papers, technical reports, case studies, user
guides, product demos, etc.
How a software or hardware product is marketed is
the deciding factor in the success or failure of its TWB works closely with client teams located globally,
developers. The benefits and features of an and assists them in meeting their worldwide product
application alone are not enough to ensure announcements and launch deadlines. TWB works
success. Without a quality marketing strategy, a round-the-clock with client teams and help them with
product will not reach its target audience. quick responses that facilitate timely distribution of
documents around the globe.
Since hardware and software marketing does not
“Knowledge is people, money, learning, flexibility
typically involve traditional media, generating
and competitive advantage. Knowledge is more
product knowledge and interest becomes a
relevant to sustained business than capital or
challenge. Conveying a product to an audience, in
labor. And yet knowledge remains the most
a manner that will get them interested, involves a
neglected asset of a business. TWB helps you
quality website, the method of advertising itself,
unlock and share your technical knowledge with
and the way in which information is written and
the world.”
presented to the audience.
A simple product manual or a well-written and well-
designed web-site is used by customers to form
opinions of products. It is essential, therefore, that
experts, skilled in general and commercial
communication, with technical knowledge about
creating persuasive messages be involved in the
process of developing a marketing campaign.
In this paper we will discuss the importance of
technical publications to the marketing and
advertising industry, to facilitate creation of
awareness and successful sale of software and
hardware products.
“TWB believes that technology cannot exist
without being communicated effectively.”
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4. Marketing and Advertising Industry – Technical Publications
Growth of the Marketing and Advertising Challenges and Solutions
Industry in India
Internet advertising is slated to touch Rs.1100 crore Some of the greatest documentation challenges
by 2012. In 2007, revenue increased to Rs.270 crore that most companies face today include:
from Rs.160 crore the previous year. This was the
highest growth of any segment in the media and  Timely availability of quality documents during
advertising industry. The image below shows a global product release
growth chart based on advertising expenditure,  Cost cutting in a multi-vendor business
projected for 2010. environment
 Managing large volumes of documentation for
new products releases
Knowledge is power and in marketing, product
knowledge translates to increased sales. Well-
written, eye-catching documentation can make the
difference between customer uncertainty and a
sale. It is difficult to measure the degree to which
documentation affects the decision to buy a
In India, the advertising expenditure dropped to 2% product. However, generally, products that receive
from 17% in 2009. However, digital ad expenditure, favorable documentation reviews are also products
which accounts for 1.7% of the total industry, saw a that receive overall positive ratings.
growth of 45% in internet spending alone.
Poor documentation cuts into profits, even if a
product has sold well. If the documentation quality
Growth of the Marketing and Advertising is low, massive costs are incurred in post-sales
Industry Globally support. This is especially true for hardware and
software products. Statistics show that the number
of callers on support lines reduces drastically if the
Overall advertising expenditure dropped by 12.3% in
documentation that accompanies a product is clear
2009. However, digital advertising expenditure grew
and easy to understand. TWB provides
by 7.3%. In the fourth quarter of 2009 alone, global
online advertising revenues reached USD 17.2 billion, documentation with professional quality.
an increase of 8.5% from the USD 15.9 billion
revenue in in 2008. The Q4 increase of 2009 was Improvements to existing hardware and software
12.8% more than Q3 2009’s revenue of USD 15.2 products, and creation of new ones, are regular
billion. occurrences. The release of new products requires
a variety of documentation, from web content and
data sheets, to white papers and user guides.
Online advertising expenditure is expected to surpass
Quality documentation, created by skilled
print advertising expenditure in 2010. Companies are
professionals, is easy to update to reflect changes
expected to spend USD 119.6 billion on online and
or modify for new products and releases.
digital strategies, like search engine keywords and
webinars.
Benefits
For leading vendors of software and hardware
products, association with TWB has benefited them
by saving costs and producing professional
documentation along with services such as:
 Transferring complex technical data into easily
understandable language
 Protecting technical and commercial data of
newly developed products
 Creating, editing, reviewing, and maintaining
content
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5. Value of Technical Publications
Technical Publication for Transferring Publications for Different Levels of
Product Knowledge Technical and Product Knowledge
The purpose of technical publications is to transfer
When marketing a software or hardware product, it
product knowledge to the end user, in a
is necessary to create a wide variety of
comprehensible format. The strategies of
documentation. Web content is meant to be simple,
communication and levels of information vary
interesting and persuasive, to draw customers.
depending on the type of product.
User manuals have to be clear, concise and
precise in their content to make the products easy
When delivering a product, whether a hardware to use and understand. Each of these documents
product or a software application, it is equally addresses a different audience, each of whom has
important to give the users information about the a direct relation to sales and the overall profits of
product’s operation and maintenance. the company. It is important that documents be
created keeping in mind the role of the person who
In the real world scenario, technical publications are will use the documentation.
often developed as an afterthought. This usually
results in inaccurate and hard-to-understand material. For example, a technical analyst, who is
As a result, the users dislike these materials and accustomed to reviewing satellite images on a
avoid using them. workstation, needs to learn how to use the system
and software to magnify the image, but not how to
Inaccurate and hard-to-understand material also analyze the image.
results in the user’s inability to understand and
implement high-end technologies. The users might For users who start without technical or product
reject the product. knowledge, you need to provide instructions to use
the product as well as information they need to look
for as a result of using the product. This presents a
more difficult problem.
Faulty Assumptions that Result in
Problems in Documentation Different needs of the end users and the gap
between their technical and product knowledge
determines the amount of information that goes into
These faulty assumptions result in incomprehensible technical publications.
documents:
 The developers know the product better than Attractive Publications as Useful
anyone else: With time constraints and limited Marketing Tool
resources, many companies are tempted to let the
programmers do the documentation. The Providing useful and accurate documents is critical
engineers and developers know the product very to ensure that the user can easily find the required
well. However, the developer is likely to provide information. If the end users cannot find the
technology-centered information; where as the answers to their problems, they assume that the
end user requires task-centered information. documentation is useless.
For engineers and developers it is almost
impossible to step back and look at the To be useful, the documentation must be clear,
application from the end users point of view. concise, and well designed. The documentation
that is accurate and complete also needs to be well
designed.
 The application is complicated; having a writer
learn about it will take too long: Learning the Accurate and easy-to-understand technical
product should not be a major obstacle for the documentation is the only way to provide
writers with the right technical background. information to the end user, and it is also cost-
effective.
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6. Conclusion
 The Importance of Marketing and Advertising: Marketing and Advertising are the tools used to attract
prospective customers to a business and the products or services it offers. The number of customers drawn
depends directly on the effectiveness and success of the marketing campaign. Advertising is a part of a
business’ overall marketing strategy, including public relations, promotions, incentives, and newsletters
among others. The aim of a marketing strategy is to use advertising and all its available tools to maximum
effect.
 Value of Technical Publications: Technical Publications are essential in transferring product knowledge to
end users. The provision of proper material to use technology and products allows a user to accept and
efficiently use a product. Faulty assumptions about documentation lead to inaccurate and hard-to-understand
material. This also decreases the chances of marketing those products in the global market.
 Role of Documentation Outsourcing: The importance of marketing and advertising to the success of a
product requires that vendors and purchasers look at outsourcing their documentation needs to well-
established Technical Publications Solutions providers. This helps the company cut costs and at the same
time deliver their products with quality documents.
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7. TWB Services
TWB is India’s leader in technical communication outsourcing and education. TWB offers a complete suite of services that
allow our customers to effectively publish their technical knowledge with their people and processes. TWB’s customers range
from Global 500 – including Cisco, Accenture, McAfee, LG, Samsung, Citrix, SAP, Siemens, AOL, Intel; Indian technology
majors – including Infosys, Wipro; Global defense majors - Pratt & Whitney, Honeywell, DRDO, HAL; and exciting technology
startups. TWB's expertise in technical communication ranges from IT Products and Outsourcing, ITES, Banking, Financial,
Aerospace, Defense, Ship Building to Hi-tech Manufacturing, and Discrete and Process Manufacturing.
TWB’s services include:
Technical Marketing Technical Product Documentation Quality
Solutions Documentation Management
 Datasheets
 Administrator’s Guide
 Datasheets  Copy Editing and Proof Reading
 API Document
 Cheat sheets  Managing Writing
 Configuration Guide
 Solution Briefs/Solution Brochures  Editing Services
 Functional Specifications Document
 Presentations –  Layout and Design
Products/Corporate Profile  Installation Manual
 Creating SLAs
 Brochures and marketing collateral  Interface Document
 Web content  Interactive Electronic Technical Business Documentation
Manual (IETM)
 Audio and video scripts
 Maintenance Manual  Business Proposals
 Press releases
 Online Help  Legal Disclaimers
 Direct mail
 Operation Manual  Policy Manuals
 Newsletter design copy
 Product Demo  Style Guide Design
 Sales catalogues
 Product Specifications Document  Template Design
 Sales sheets
 Product Overview Document
 Quick Reference Guide
Business Communication Content Management
 Release Notes
 Short Reports  Requirement Analysis Document
 Single Sourcing
 Proposals  SDK Document
 File Version Control
 Case Studies  Troubleshooting Manual
 Document Naming Conventions
 Lab Reports  User Manual
 Consistent Document Formatting
 Memos  Open Source Documentation
 Data Transformation
 Progress/Interim Reports  Programmers Guides
 Writing for Electronic Media  Functional Specifications Document
 Use Cases Web site Development
Illustrations  Online Help /Context Sensitive Help
 Web 2.0 development
 Troubleshooting Guides
 Graphic Designing  Web content

 Info graphics  Web applications
Qualitative Analytics for
 2D & 3D animation
Decision Support Translation and Localization
 Line drawings and illustrations
Services
 Economic Business Research
Process Documentation
 Industry Analysis  Software Translation Services
 Workflows  Market Opportunity Analysis  Document Translation Services
 Standard Operating Procedures  Competitive Business Analysis  Localization (L10N) Testing
 ISO Documentation  Company & Prospect Profiling  Internationalization (I18N) Testing
 CMM Documentation  Reporting Solutions
 Assessment of Unmet Market Needs Records Management
Deployment and Support  Status and Potential of Technologies
 Document Management Solutions
 Benchmarking of Strategies Vs
 Record Management Storage and
 Installation and Configuration Competition
Retrieval
Guides  Forecasting
 Operations Manual  Sales Force Effectiveness
 Market Assessments
 Competitive Intelligence
 Opinion Leadership
 Emerging Markets - evaluation and
research
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8. TWB Software Tools Expertise
Our technical proficiency in software and authoring tools includes:
Unstructured Content XML Structured Editors Multimedia/Authoring
Development
 Epic  Adobe Flash®
 Microsoft Word®  FrameMaker+SGML  Adobe Dreamweaver®
 Adobe FrameMaker®  X-Metal®  Microsoft FrontPage®
 Adobe InDesign®  Adobe Captivate®
 QuarkXPress® Macromedia Captivate
 Adobe PageMaker® Graphics/Animations
 Multimedia/Authoring/
Illustrations  Adobe Flash® Supporting tools
 Adobe Photoshop®
 Adobe Flash CS4 Professional  Adobe Fireworks®  Adobe Flash®
 Adobe Illustrator CS3  Adobe Flex®
 CorelDRAW Online Help  Adobe AIR®
 Microsoft-Expression Graphic  Adobe Dreamweaver®
Designer  Adobe Acrobat®
 Xara Xtreme (Windows & Linux)  JavaHelp
 Microsoft Silverlight®
 CuteDraw  Adobe RoboHelp 7.0
 Adobe Authorware®
 Publisher3D(for animation)  HelpScribble
 Adobe Director®
 Sketsa SVG Editor (for vector  WebWorks Publisher
 Adobe Captivate®
graphics)  PowerCHM
 Trivantis Lectora®
 Techsmith Camtasia  Doc-To-Help
 ASP.NET
 Adobe Flash CS4 Professional  WinCHM
 JSP
 Arbortext IsoDraw (technical  HelpSmith 2.1.1(Windows)
 JAVA
illustrations for 2D and 3D)  Fast-Help
 MadCap Flare Standards
Graphics/Animation  Help-Server
 NVU Help
 SCORM 1.2 / 2004
 Adobe Flash®  AICC
XML
 Adobe Photoshop®  W3C
 Adobe Illustrator®  Section 508
 Adobe Fireworks®  XMetal®  QTI XML
 Microsoft Silverlight®  Microsoft Word 2003®,
 Microsoft Word 2007®
Databases Development and Publishing
tools
CMS/ LMS
 Microsoft Access  XSLT/XSL
 Microsoft SQL Server  EDD
 Sharepoint®
 Moodle
Flowcharting  Joomla,
 WordPress
 Microsoft Visio  Media Wiki
 iGrafx  CMS Builder
 EDraw  Author-it (formerly AuthorIT)
 RFFlow  Alfresco
 Flowbreeze
 Smart Draw
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9. Industries Served
TWB services a wide range of technology and knowledge driven industries, helping them meet their markets better, these
include:
 Banking, Insurance and Financial Services  ITES/ KPO/ BPO
 Consulting and Business Services  Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
 Defense, Aerospace and Hi-Tech Manufacturing  Process Manufacturing and Allied Industries
 Education and Learning  Steel, Ship Building, Construction and Aviation
 IT, ITES  Telecom and Digital Communications
TWB has been the preferred technical documentation outsourcing company for:
The TWB Building US Office:
No: 4062, 19th Main Road, TWB
HAL 2nd Stage, 11701 Norwegian Wood Drive
Bangalore – 560008 Austin, TX 78758
India.
Landmark: Behind Carlton Towers
Telephone: Telephone:
+91.80.40741400 / +1.512.586.8357
+91.80.41256367
Corporate Enquiries:
corp@twb.in
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